Leon de locht-labye



(NoModel.)

, L. DE LOCHT-LABYE.

`TELEPHONE TRANSMITTER. No. 264,028. Patented Sept. 5, 1882'.

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` UNITED STATES @PATENT @trice LEON DE LGHTLABYE, OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

TELEPHONE-TRANSMITTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 264,028, dated September 5, 1882.

Application filed April E20, 1892. (No model.) Patented in France August 30, 1879, No. 132,464; in Belgium April 21, 1881, No. 54,442; in Portugal November 25, 1881, No. 723; in Sweden November 28, 1881, and in British India. December 3l, 188|, No. 1,146.

To all whom zt may concern Beit known that I, LoN DE LooH'r-LABYE, of Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have in- Vented a certain new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Transmitters, of which the following specification is a full description.

This invention has reference to a new telephonie transmitter for use in connection with a battery or other auxiliary source of electricity, which transmitter is characterized by the use of a plate for receiving the impact of the sound-waves, maderot' cork or other suitable material adapted to furnish a large surface with smallweight, the same being supported so as to be movable about one edge, (or being carried by spring-lcvers,) in combination with a contact-piece or electrode, of carbon,carried by and movable with said plate, and a contactpiece or electrode, of carbon or metalsuch as silver, copper, or platinum-suitably supported so as to press against the movable electrode.

The plate of this instrument, which is called the pantelephone, is preferably xed at the extremities of spring arms or bars in a condition of great mobility, which allows it to re spond to feeble sounds of the human voice uttered at a distance or close at hand in the manner best adapted to regular telephonie service. With a plate of cork the best effects are obtained with a plate having a surface measurement of about eighty millimeters by iifty-ve millimeters and a thickness of three tosixmillimeters,andsuspended bytlatsprings, of steel, copper, brass, or German silver, which are preferably provided with slots and attached by set-screws, thereby enabling the effective length of the springs to be increased or diminished and the point of contact between the carbon disk on the lower part ofthe plate and theed geof the platin um electrodeto bechanged. The platinum electrode is attached by a universal or ball-and-socket joint to the extremity of armetal fin ger.

An important feature of the invention consists in inclosing the pantelephonic plate and other parts of the apparatus in a box or case having the wall or a portion thereofon one or more sides formed by cloth, felt, or other nonvihratory material permeable to sound-waves without alteration.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect will now be described, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a telephone station apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, the door of the box or case being open. Fig. lnshows the pantelephone or transmitter in vertical section, partly in elevation.

The box or case X, Fig. l, is provided with a door, Y, consisting of a wooden frame with cloth stretched thereon. In the interior of the box are placed the pantelephone, (of which the plate is lettered 1),) the magnet, armatures,and contacts ot' a vibratory or automatic circuitbreaking hell, S, an induction-coil, of, and the contact devices of an automatic or gravity switch, A. Below the body of the box or case, on an extension of the back board, are the signal-key or push-button a b d and the bindingposts.

rlhe cork plate P, of determined dimensions, is suspended by two small and supple springs, F F, of German silver, from a support, Z. A small and perfectly-Hat disk of carbon, o, is let into the lower part of the plate l?, and is in contact with the edge of a platinum linger, p, attached to a support by theuniversal or ball-and-socketjoint n, which enables it to be set in the position required for its edge to bear on the carbon disk o evenly along its whole.

length` in all positions of the plate l). The regulation of the contacts is therefore effected in the most simple manner, for it is only necessaryto set the linger p so as to secure an intimate and uniform contact between the edge thereotl and the carbon disk, the greater or less inclination of the plate I) seeming to regulate the degree of pressure, and the distance between the extreme positions in which conversation may be carried on under ordinary conditions being more than a centimeter.

By providing the springs F with holes or ,slots f the plate P may be suspended higher or lower, so as to vary at will the vpoint of contact between the carbon disk o and the nger p. The carbon disk o is connected with one ofthe springs F by a wire, which is hid in the back of the plate l?, and is shown by adotted line. The finger p, which constitutes the other contact-piece or electrode, is connected with th e binding-post C. The other electrical connections are as follows: The circuit of the pan- 1o telephone from the spring F is completed through the spring m and primary of the induction-coil e f to the post T, which is connected with the post C through a local transmitting-battery, (shown as a cell of the signaling-battery,) and which is also grounded or connected withl the return-branch of the linccircuit.

The receiving-telephones Z, ot' which two are shown, although one will in most cases sut'- tice, are connected in circuit with the line-wire and the secondary of the induction-coil ef, the circuit,when comp1ete,being from theline-post L, through the key or spring b, contact-piece (l, switch-lever A, contact D, coils of righthand telephone, coils of left-hand telephone, and posts t' t and secondary of induction-coil, and post.T, to ground or return line. The circuit ot lthe bell-magnet S is, when complete, the same as the receivers from the post L to the switch-lever A, but proceeds thence from the contact s' through the coils ofthe magnet Sand its armature and back contact to the post T and ground. rIhe circuits of the receiving-telephones and the bell and electromagnet being respectively connected with the contact D and the contact S', the receivingtelephones will be automatically connected in with the line when the right-hand telephone is removed from the hook at the end of the switch-lever A, and, conversely, the line-circuit will be completed through the vibratory bell S when the said telephone is on the hook, as shown.` In the latter position, the lever A being depressed, the spring m is also depressed, breaking the circuit of the local battery through the transmitter or pantelephone.

The contact-point cof the signal key or switch b is connected, by way of the post G3, with the positive pole ot' a local signaling-bat- 5o tery, of which the positive pole ot' the last cell is connected with the post C.

Connected with the signal-bell is a visible signal device consisting ot' a disk, It, and a lever, g. Then the signal is set the disk R covers a fixed disk, I, being held in that position by engagement ofthe hook at the left of the lever with a pin on the armature of the signal-bell. The same apparatus being used at two stations on a line, it one party wishes to call the other, he pushes in the key or switch b, which thereupon connects the local battery to line through the contact a, key or switch b cuttin gout the otherdevices. The currentfrom the battery, traversing the line-wire, passes through the magnet S ofthe signal-bell, which thereupon rings so long as the key or switch b is depressed. At the same time the lever g is released by the vibration of the bell-armature, and the disk It drops and remains in that position until reset by the party called. The 7o latter, having received the signal, returns it by means of his key or switch b, and the receiving-telephones at the two stations are removed from their supports, and by the automatic movement of the spring switch-levers A are, together with the secondary ofthe inductioncoils ef, connected in theline-circuit, while at the same time the circuit ot' the local trans,- mitting-battery is completed by the spring m through the transmitter or pantelephone and 8o the primary ofthe induction-coil. On replacing the telephones Z after the conversation is nished the original conditions are restored.

For the local battery Bunsen cells are not well adapted; but cells ot` any type in which the reaction is constant-such as those of Daniell, Meidinger, Galland, Sac-maybe used, although it is preferred to use Leclanche cells with agglomerated plates, one or two of such cells serving for the pantelephone. 9c

A signaling apparatus will now be described which operates by rapid breaks in an electric circuit, and which is capable ot' use with, if need be, no more than a single cell of battery.

The circuit traversed by the galvanic current includes the telephones at the two corresponding stations; or there is at each station a local circuit which includes the primary ot an induction coil, (the induction coil ot" the transmitter will answer,) the secondary being connected to line. The simplest means for breaking the circuit consists of a metallic point connected with one pole of the circuit and a rough-surfaced metal plate connected with the other pole. For this plate apiece of a metal cloth with serrated meshes or the like may be used, it being secured to the telephoneboX like a plate for lighting 'friction-matches.

Modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the inventiontor example, instead of suspending the platel? ot' the telephone-transmitter (Fig. l) from above, it may be supported at the lower edge, so as to be in unstable equilibrium.

I-Iaving now fully described the said invention and the manner of carrying the same into effect, what I claim is- 1. In atelephonic transmitter, the combination of a plate of cork or other not polished wood suspended by spring-arms, and acarbon contact-disk carried by said plate, with a contact-piece or electrode having an edge in contact with said disk, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the'electrodes or contact-pieces ot' a telephonie transmitter, a cork plate having the surface dimensions and thickness described.

3. A contact-electrode connected with its support by a universal or ball-and-socket joint, 13o

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too y and provided with a bearing-edge of platinum,

silver, copper, or carbon, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with plate and carbon electrode carried thereby, and the stationary electrode, of means for supporting the plate adjustably, substantially as described, so as to change the point of Contact between the electrodes, substantially as set forth.

5. A telephonebox inelosinga transmittingtelephone and having one or more sides made of cloth or other material permeable to soundwaves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing wit- 1 5 

